“To become a person who is free to make music, you must be a person who puts in some work”. . .That was in my Bible study material this week and it made me think about The Contemporary Chorale‘s spring show.

This show was one of the best we’ve ever done — if not the best.

We didn’t just sing. . .we made music.

I’m well aware that this statement will not make sense to everyone. I can see you now, sitting at your computer, pondering aloud, “Isn’t singing, by its very nature, making music?” . . . I would gently tell you that it is not, in fact, one in the same. One can sing without ever truly making music.

To make music, one has to know the fundamentals of singing, yes, but one must also let the music seep into one’s inner being. There is a marked difference in simply singing for singing’s sake, or just playing the notes on the page, and making music with one’s whole self. It is the difference between performing the music and telling the story. Music should always tell a story — and it should be told well.

At our show, we made music. We told the story we set out to tell, and we told it well. We were free to make music, to tell our story, because hard work was done. Our story was communicated early and often. The expectations placed on us were high and unwavering. Then, we set out to tell our story. Quite a few people worked incredibly hard so that we could be successful. . .and there is little that is more satisfying than the freedom that comes from working hard.